Rite Aid hosting in-store insurance agents to advise on Obamacare

By Brent Burkey,
September 10, 2013 at 10:42 AM

Cumberland County-based Rite Aid Corp. will host insurance agents at its pharmacies starting next month in conjunction with the start of enrollment under the Health Insurance Marketplace portion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Beginning Oct. 1, independent licensed insurance agents will be at nearly 2,000 of Rite Aid’s more than 4,600 locations for free consultations with customers who can enroll in a plan if they choose, according to a news release.

The agents also will be able to advise on Medicaid eligibility in states where it is applicable, the release stated.

Agents will not be available in states such as Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont where it’s prohibited under state marketplace restrictions, according to the release.

The company is providing a set of comprehensive resources for customers to better understand the act and help them make health insurance choices, the release stated.

All stores will have brochures about the act and information will be on the company’s website.

“We know they will look to Rite Aid for information and guidance, and that’s why we’re providing free resources in store and online, to help them better understand the new requirements and options available to them under the law,” Rite Aid Chairman and CEO John Standley said in the release.

Rite Aid is one of the nation’s largest drugstore chains. Shares of the East Pennsboro Township-based company are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RAD.